Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague
Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze
Established: 1906 / 1952
Type: Public
Rector: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan Hron
Students: 18 000 (2007)
Location: Prague, Czech Republic (EU)
Campus: Prague-Suchdol
Website: http://www.czu.cz/en/

Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, officially Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (Czech: Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze, ČZU) is a university in Prague, the Czech Republic, established in 1906.

Contents

[edit] The History

The basis of agricultural education in Czech lands dwells deep in the former Austrian Empire, more than two centuries ago. In 1788 a department of agriculture was set up at the Prague University. The first professors were pioneers of an advanced concept of education for agriculture. In 1812, the courses were transferred to the Technical Institute of Czech Estates and, in 1845, classes in all the agricultural sciences were offered to the young rural population.

Independent studies of agriculture were set up at the Czech Technical University (ČVUT) in 1906, and the first agricultural engineers graduated in 1911. The development of the agricultural school system in Czechoslovakia continued: in 1920 the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry was established, in 1952 the university became independent under name University College of Agriculture in Prague (Vysoká škola zemědělská v Praze, VŠZ) and in 1966 it moved to a newly-built spacious campus in Prague-Suchdol, where it has been located since then.

Faculty of forestry, established in 1952 stayed until 1959 as a part of ČVUT, until 1964 as a part of agricultural university, then became independent Institute of Forestry Science (Vědecký lesnický ústav) and since 1990 it is again part of ČZU.

During rule of communist party in Czechoslovakia (until 1989) the university had been lavishly funded as a part of state support of collectivised agriculture.

Since 1995 the university bears its current name.

During 1952 - 1980 the complete Master's study took five years, until 1990 four years, then it switched back to five years. Since 1993 three years long bachelor study is available.

[edit] Present

The university offers bachelors´s programmes and Master´s programmes (based on credit system) and doctoral programmes.

The University also offers five two-year MSc programmes taught in English (Agricultural Economics and Management, Natural Resources and Environment Forestry, Water and Landscape Management, Informatics, Technology and Environmental Engineering).

Two years long education programme for the elderly (Univerzita třetího věku, [1]) is available.


In 2005 the Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS) became a Member in the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS). Established in 2001 the ELLS network presently includes the following members:


Main fields of co-operation in ELLS are:

  • - joint curriculum development
  • - student and staff mobility
  • - pooling of expertise
  • - quality assurance
  • - development of university policy and strategy
  • - internationalisation

[edit] Faculties and Institutes

  • The Economical and Management Faculty educates specialists in the management of all kinds of agricultural companies, managers and economists operating in rural and non-urban businesses specialized in finance, banking, insurance, IT, trade, rural and regional development and in other services for the entire agrifood complex.
    • Departments of the Faculty: Management; Agricultural Economics; Business and Finance; Economic Theories; Information Engineering; Information Technologies; Operations and Systems Analysis; Statistics; Humanities; Law; Psychology; Languages.
    • Dean of the Faculty Prof. Ing. Miroslaw Svatos CSc. (2003- ongoing)


  • The Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources educates to find career opportunities in farms, co-operatives, the food-industry, all types of agricultural services, landscape and agri-ecology management. The courses cover all traditional fields of Crop and animal production, natural resources and the environment.
    • Departments of the Faculty: Agroecology and Biometeorology; Agrochemistry and Plant Nutrition; Botany and Plant Physiology; Genetics and Breeding; Chemistry; Special Animal Husbandry; Microbiology, Nutrition and Dietetics; Crop Protection; Soil Science and Geology; Forage Crops and Grasslands;Plant production; Quality of Agricultural Products; Veterinary Sciences; Horticulture and Landscape Architecture; Zoology and Fish Farming.
    • Experiment Stations: Troja - Gardening; Uhrineves - Plant Production; Cerveny Ujezd - Plant Production, Forage Production and Plant Nutrition; Ploskov - Pig Breeding.
    • Dean of the Faculty Prof. Ing. Josef Kozak Dr. Sc. dr. h.c. (2003-ongoing)


  • The Faculty of Forestry and Environment educates students for all fields of forestry, engineering ecology, landscape management, and the timber industry. The Faculty works on theoretical and applied research in the field of forestry and water management, on the environmental sciences and applied ecology.
    • Departments of the Faculty: Ecology and Environment; Forest-Culture; Dendrology and Forest Tree Breeding; Forest Management; Forest Protection and Game Management; Forest Harvesting; Wood Processing; Forestry Economics and Management; Biotechnical Landscape Improvement; Water Management; Constructions; Breeding Station Truba and Arboretum Kostelec.
    • Dean of the Faculty Prof. Ing. Vilem Podrazsky CSc. (2003-ongoing)


  • The graduates of the Technical Faculty are industrial engineers who deal with technologies for processing agricultual products and manage operational mechanical equipment and manufacturing devices for all branches of agriculture, market gardening, forestry and related branches.
    • Departments of the Faculty: Machinery Application; Mechanics and Machine Engineering; Mathematics; Information Technologies Applications; Electrical Engineering and Automation; Physics; Vehicles and Road Transport; Technological Equipment of Buildings; Machine Quality and Reliability; Farm Machinery; Materials and Engineering Technology.
    • Dean of the Faculty Prof. Ing. Jiri Klima CSc. (2003-ongoing)


  • The Institute of Tropics and Subtropics offers education for both Czech and foreign students focusing on the tropical and subtropical zones, animal production, mechanisation of agriculture, taking into account local conditions and the local-economy, and deals with agricultural management.
    • Departments of the Institute: Engineering, Economics and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics; Tropical and Subtropical Crops and Agroforestry; Animal Breeding and Food Proceesing in the Tropics and Subtropics.
    • Director of the Institute Assoc. Prof: Ing. Bohumil Havrland CSc. (2000-ongoing)


  • The Institute for Education and Consultancy is an independent pedagogical and scientific institution which covers the whole university. It specialises in agricultural and forestry training and providing consultant services.


  • The Department of Physical Education is an independent department of the Czech University of Agriculture and provides compulsatory as well as volunteer physical training to students of all University faculties within their study programmes, as well as winter and summer courses both in the Czech Republic and abroad.


[edit] Business enterprises

  • The University Farm at Lány

is an educational facility, founded in 1960 on farm that had formerly belonged to the office of the president of the Czechoslovak Republic. Around the farm were properties that had been established circa 1850 as a part of the Křivoklát Estate. In 1921 they were purchased by the Czechoslovak state together with Lány Castle and the forest districts. Lány Castle and the adjacent forests are now used as a retreat by the President of the Czech Republic.

The main objective of the University Farm is to support all university activities. The farm offers good conditions for educational purposes, for practical training university level and also for students from other agricultural schools and for the public. It participates in the research work undertaken by departments and Faculties of the University.

The Farm cultivates 3,000 hectares of farmland with annual production of about 9,000 tonnes of grain, 2,000 tonnes oilseed rape and fodder crops for the farm's own use.


  • The Mělník farm north east of Prague cultivates grapevines at 11 hectares and produces its own wine. Apricots, peaches and apples are also grown on 4.5 ha of land. The University Farm has 1,100 head of cattle, of which 440 are Holsteins with annual production of 9,400 litres of milk, and 80 are Jerseys with annual production of 5,900 litres milk. The farm also rears about 4,000 head of pigs, which produce approximately 400 tonnes of pig meat annually. The farm produces 600,000 chickens each year, which are slaughtered and processed in the farm's own slaughterhouses.
  • As a gene-pool the University-Farm rears a herd of original Czech "red cattle", Old-Kladruby horses and Norik horses.

is a 4,600 ha forest with a castle, a garden centre, a sawmill, fishponds (70 ha) and facilities for the education of students.

Besides routine forestry operations, its main role is to assist in the education of students of the [Faculty of Forestry], to organise experimental work and to serve for demonstration purposes. Practical experience in fish farming is also provided for students of the faculties agronomy and forestry.


  • A 12-hectare arboretum was established in 1954. The castle has the capacity to accommodate and cater for some 100 students.

[edit] Rectors

  • Vladimir Kosil; Prof. Dr. Ing. Dr.Sc.1952-1960
  • Karel Kudrna; Academic 1960-1966
  • Emil Kunz; Prof. Dr. Ing. Dr.Sc. 1966-1970
  • Ctibor Ledl; Prof.Ing. Dr.SC,dr.h.c. 1970-1985
  • Josef Cervenka; Prof. Ing. Csc. 1985-1990
  • Jiri Petr; Prof. Ing. Dr.Sc. dr.h.c. 1990-1994
  • Jan Hron; Prof. Ing. Dr.Sc. dr.h.c. 1994-2000
  • Josef Kozak; Prof.Ing. Dr.Sc. dr.h.c.2000-2003
  • Jan Hron; Prof. Ing. Dr.Sc. dr.h.c.; Rector re-elected in 2003

Vice-Rectors 2006 - the Year of 100th Anniversary

  • Pavel Kovar; Prof. Ing. Dr.Sc.; Vice Rector for International Relations at CUA Prague, head of the Department for Land Use and Improvement at the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, author of nearly 200 scientific publications.
  • Jiri Balik; Prof. Ing. CSc.; Vice Rector for University Estates and University Farm of CUA Prague, responsible for relations with Industry, head of Department of Agro Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, author of more than 80 scientific publications.
  • Jaroslav Havlicek; Prof. Ing. RNDr.; Vice Rector for Education at CUA Prague, head of Department for Operational and System Analysis.
  • Ivana Ticha; Doc. Ing. PhD.; Vice Rector for Science and Research at CUA Prague.
  • Vaclav Slavik; Prof. RNDr. Dr.SC.; Vice Rector for IT at CUA Prague, author of several scientific publications.

[edit] Other Agronomy Studies

[edit] See also

[edit] External links